West Volusia Growth Putting Voters To Test

Let's chew off a big chunk of optimism and say that political apathy is on the run in west Volusia.

Driven by growth, and in some cases contentious politics, a large roster of wanna-be politicians is forming. Fifty-three people in five cities are toying with the idea of running for public office.

In tiny Lake Helen, where all five commission seats must be filled, 14 people have picked up qualifying papers. In Deltona, the only city where qualifying is finished, 12 candidates are seeking four commission seats.

So far in DeLand, 11 people are running for four seats. Nine are contemplating running for two seats in DeBary, and six are thinking about vying for three seats in Orange City.

"I think what you're seeing in west Volusia is the culminating pressures of growth. The push northward from Orlando is impacting each of these communities,'' said Stetson University political science professor T. Wayne Bailey.

"The questions about how to cope with the issues stemming from growth, and the whole reservoir of growth, naturally triggers division.''

Basic civics tells us that citizen involvement in government is the foundation of the republic. The more candidates, the merrier. More candidates, in theory at least, mean more campaigns and more debate about issues that matter to communities.

The new faces on the political scene are encouraging. There also is plenty of political experience at work, including incumbents seeking re-election and former office holders who want to get involved again.

Among those trying to get back into the political arena are former De- Bary City Commissioners Rob Sullivan and Clifford Rutz, former Lake Helen Mayor Chris Craft and former DeLand City Commissioners Janet Bollum and Danny Gainin.

More candidates mean more pressure on voters to be educated about issues and the political hopefuls, to sift through the field in search of experience, knowledge, vision and the skills to act on that vision.

Voters also will need to look beyond issues to ferret out candidates' motives for running. It shouldn't be enough to criticize one's opponent. The best candidates can stand on their own visions and resumes.

The real test of whether apathy is on the run in west Volusia is not the number of candidates but the number of voters who participate in the various elections.

"The momentum of politics in west Volusia has been stirred and the momentum apparently has worked to mobilize the interest of a much larger number of activists,'' Bailey said. "Whether this will translate into a much larger voter turnout remains to be seen.

"The fact is that these elections occur at a time when many voters are distracted by the end of summer, the commencement of a new school year. Thus, the candidates have the difficulty of getting the attention of the voting public.''

Certainly there will be ample incentives to encourage voters.

Easily the biggest draw will be the School Board proposal to increase the 6-cent county sales tax by half a penny to raise $461 million to build new schools and replace and renovate old ones in the next 15 years.

In addition, there are some tantalizing matchups in the city elections -- two incumbent DeLand city commissioners running for mayor; former DeBary City Council members challenging incumbents; and former Lake Helen Mayor Chris Craft challenging Mark Shuttleworth, the man who ousted him from office.

Democracy looks to be in good shape in west Volusia. Another way to look at it: voter beware.